Chateau Haut Bailly 2023

VINUM: "Tiefgründig, kühl im Ausdruck, glasklare Carbernet-Frucht, Brombeere, Kirsche, Cassis, Veilchen, steinig unterlegt; druckvoll am Gaumen, hat Fleisch am Knochen, bleibt elegant, seidiges Tannin umgarnt die Frucht, im Abgang ausgesprochen lang, endet auf rote Beeren und Lakritze. Ein ausgezeichneter, charmanter Haut-Bailly, der in jeder Phase seines Lebens Spass machen wird."

JAMES SUCKLING: "I am thinking about the purity of fruit here, with blackcurrants, cassis and lead pencil. There's an underlying character of mineral and flint. The palate is dense, focused and precise, with very fine tannins that are ultra-fine and layered and go vertically down the palate. Everything is in the right place. So much polish and a svelte nature. Then hints of hazelnut and walnut to the refined texture. Sophisticated. 58% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot."

WEINWISSER: "58 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 34 % Merlot, 4 % Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 40 hl/ha, 14.3 Vol.-%. Was für ein verführerischer Duft, schwarze Johannisbeere, dunkle Kirsche, Majoran und wilder Salbei, dahinter heller Tabak, zarte Graphitnoten und Preiselbeersaft. Am komplexen Gaumen straff ausgerichtet mit samtiger Textur und engmaschigem Tanningerüst, viel Spannung aufbauend, mit balancierter Rasse bei durchtrainiertem Körper. Im konzentrierten, langanhaltenden Finale mit kleinen schwarzen Beeren, dunkler Mineralik und erhabener Adstringenz. Erinnert mich an den flinken Muhammad Ali. Gehört daher klar zur Top-Liga in Pessac-Léognan."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Haut-Bailly has a pH of 3.75. It is deep garnet-purple in color and it waltzes out with showy scents of boysenberry preserves, stewed plums, and fruit cake, followed by underlying suggestions of Indian spices, menthol, graphite, and lavender, with a hint of cardamom. The full-bodied palate is rich and seductively plush, with layers of black fruits and exotic spices, plus mint and floral sparks, finishing long and fragrant. It is so graceful and opulent!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Flowers, cedar, spice, and tobacco coupled with black raspberries, blackberries, and smoke aromatics are what initially grabs your attention. There is a vibrancy paired with elegant, firm tannins, and purity, and length that is impossible to ignore on the palate. The finish is silky, and refined, leaving you with lingering black raspberries, and black cherries, with a refreshing touch of mint in the slightly, firm endnote that make you want to take another sip. It was management of the mildew pressure, along with paying attention to the degree of ABV which were the two key areas of attention here this year. The wine blends 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 4% Petit Verdot. 14.3% ABV, pH 3.75. 6% press wine. Picking took place September 11 - September 29. Drink from 2029-2060."

DECANTER: "Such pretty aromatics, gorgeous florally on the nose - roses and peonies, blackcurrant leaf, cranberries and cherries with some plum and black chocolate too. Soft and smooth, sumptuous like Haut-Bailly usually is. Juicy and plump for the vintage, it keeps its defined frame thanks to fine tannins with slightly sharp edges but it also has some softness with ripe fruit and lots of freshness. This is a real success, slightly hot on the finish and a little toasted but this has finesse and complexity with layered of flavour and texture. Stylish and confident. 3.75ph. 6% press wine. 55% grand vin production. Ageing 14-15 months, 50% new oak. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2023 Château Haut-Bailly is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new French oak. It has an incredible sense of purity and elegance, with perfumed redcurrants, darker berries, dried herbs, flowers, and tobacco. This carries to a medium to full-bodied red with beautiful tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and that undeniable sense of class and finesse that define this château."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon (harvested from the 20th to the 29th of September), 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of mulberries, cassis, dark wild berries, pencil lead, licorice and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and rich palate that is both layered and seamless, its deep mid-palate animated by lively acids, concluding with long, mineral, penetrating finish. Although it displays a darker, more brooding profile character than in previous years, it remains highly representative of its terroir and will benefit from some patience. It's being matured in 50% new oak."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart floral, feine Nuancen von Erdbeerkonfit, reife Herzkirschen, ein Hauch von kandierten Orangenzesten, mineralischer Touch. Komplex, saftig, elegant, feine Extraktsüße, integrierte, tragende Tannine, sehr gute Länge, straff, rotbeerige Nuancen im Abgang, sicheres Reifepotenzial, feine Kräuterwürze im Nachhall."